Terms and conditions of sale for British Council online sales of exam vouchers

1. Definitions and interpretation:

The following definitions and rules of interpretation apply in these Terms.

1.1 Definitions:

ACCA means the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam means a remote ACCA on-demand computer based exam that is remotely proctored/invigilated.

British Council means the UK Charity or other British Council Entity selling the Exam Vouchers to you as notified to you through Eventsforce and in the Order Confirmation.

British Council Entities is defined in the introduction to these Terms.

Cancellation Period means the 14 day cancellation period from the date on which you receive your Order Confirmation for the relevant Exam Voucher(s).

Complaints Page means the webpage available for making complaints to the British Council accessible at complaints page.

Contact Us Page means the webpage available for contacting the British Council accessible at: contact us page.

Contract means the legally binding contract between you and the British Council on these Terms.

Eventsforce is defined in the introduction to these Terms.

Exam Price Group means, in relation to an ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam, the ACCA pricing band that the ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams falls within.

Exam Voucher means a voucher available to purchase through Eventsforce that provides a method for students to pay for ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams.

Exam Voucher Code means the code provided within an Exam Voucher that may be used by students to purchase ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams in accordance with these Terms.

General Terms and Conditions means the terms set out in Part 2 of these Terms.

Order Acknowledgement means the order acknowledgement displayed to you in Eventsforce and which shows that the British Council has received your order and is processing it.

Order Confirmation means an order confirmation emailed to you in accordance with clause 1.2 of the General Terms and Conditions.

Payment Processor means the British Council’s designated third party payment gateway provider.

Privacy Policy means the privacy policy accessible at: privacy policy.

Special Terms and Conditions means the terms (if any) set out in Part 3 of these Terms and which set out any additional local law variations to the General Terms and Conditions.

Start Date means the date that any Exam Voucher Code from an Exam Voucher is first used to purchase and register for any ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam by a student.

Terms means these terms and conditions of sale (including the introduction, these definitions, the General Terms and Conditions and the Special Terms and Conditions) and any other documents referred to in them.

UK Charity means the British Council entity incorporated in England and Wales by Royal Charter and registered as a charity (under number 209131 in England and Wales and number SC03773 in Scotland), whose registered office is at 1 Redman Place, Stratford, London, E20 1JQ.

Working Day means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or bank or public holiday in England and/or India.

you means the organisation agreeing to these Terms.

1.2 Interpretation:

(a) References to Parts are to the parts of these Terms and, unless stated otherwise, references to clauses in a Part are to the clauses of that Part.

(b) Any words following the terms including, include, in particular, for example or any similar expression are illustrative.

(c) Any references to calendar are to the Gregorian (Western) calendar and any reference to day means calendar day, or month means calendar month.

Please note:

Special Terms and Conditions may apply to the Contract in the location in which you are incorporated or otherwise operate. If so they will be set out in Part 3 and any General Terms and Conditions which conflict with the Special Terms and Conditions will not apply to the extent they are limited by the Special Terms and Conditions.

1.1 The pages of Eventsforce will guide you through the steps you need to take to place an order. The order process allows you to check and amend any errors before submitting your order.

1.2 (a) Once you have submitted your order you will receive an Order Acknowledgment stating that the British Council has received your order and is processing it and other details regarding your purchase.

(b) Once the Payment Processor receives a legitimate payment for the Exam Voucher(s) into its designated bank account, your Order Confirmation will be emailed to you.

1.3 The Order Confirmation confirms the British Council’s acceptance of your order and the Contract will only be formed, and become legally binding, when the Order Confirmation is provided to you.

2.1 Unless cancelled earlier in accordance with these Terms, the Contract for the purchase of specific Exam Vouchers will terminate at the expiry of those specific Exam Vouchers as declared at the time of purchase, at which point the obligations set out in the Terms shall cease to apply in relation to those Exam Vouchers. .

3.1 Exam Vouchers for ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams expire 6 months after purchase. The date of expiry shall be confirmed within the Order Confirmation. Exam Vouchers cannot be extended past their expiration date. Students should register for, schedule and attempt the ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam before the Exam Voucher expiry date.

4.1 The maximum number of Exam Vouchers you may purchase in any single order is 600 (200 per Exam Price Group).

5.1 When you purchase an Exam Voucher, you do not have to select the specific exam it will be used for. You must, however, select the Exam Price Group the exam falls within. A student to whom you distribute the Exam Voucher can use it to purchase any ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam that falls within the Exam Price Group you have selected. Eventsforce sets out the Exam Price Group for the different ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams offered.

6.1 Prices of Exam Vouchers and ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams may change from time to time, but this will not affect any order which has been confirmed by an Order Confirmation. The Exam Voucher will still provide the student using the Exam Voucher with a 100% discount of the price of an ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam in the relevant Exam Price Group..

7.1 All Exam Price Groups for Exam Vouchers offered through Eventsforce will be displayed on Eventsforce. All prices quoted include applicable taxes and charges incurred by the British Council for use of debit or credit cards or other online payment methods unless otherwise stated. You may incur additional charges for the use of debit or credit cards or other online payment methods from your provider and such charges are in addition to the advertised price.

7.2 Payment can be made by credit or debit card (or any other payment method permitted by Eventsforce such as other online payment methods as explained in the order process. In all cases the British Council treats payment as confirmation that you are the person authorised to use such credit card, debit card or other payment method.

7.3 Payments by credit or debit card are processed immediately via the Payment Processor over a secure link. No card details are held by the British Council.

7.4 For the avoidance of doubt, until you have paid for the Exam Voucher(s) in full, you shall have no right to access, distribute or use them.

8.1 Exam Vouchers will be emailed to you within 2 working days following receipt of the Order Confirmation. Once received, Exam Vouchers can be redeemed straight away, however, you can distribute them as you need to over time. Keep in mind that Exam Vouchers expire 6 months from the date of receipt of the Order Confirmation.

8.2 The number of Exam Voucher Codes you receive will be equal to the number of ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams you have purchased Exam Vouchers for. As soon as you receive the Exam Voucher Codes, they can be used to purchase an ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam within the relevant Exam Price Group. All you need to do is send the Exam Voucher Code(s) to the relevant students and they can use the code to purchase and register for an ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam in the applicable Exam Price Group. Each Exam Voucher Code can only be used once so it is up to you to ensure that you do not assign the same Exam Voucher Code to more than one student.

9.1 Exam Voucher Codes must only be distributed to students who are eligible to sit ACCA On-Demand Remote Exams. As the purchaser of the Exam Voucher, you are solely responsible for the distribution of the Exam Voucher Codes and the British Council will not accept liability for you distributing the Exam Voucher Codes other than in accordance with these Terms. It is your responsibility to ensure that the students you distribute the Exam Voucher Codes:

(a) only use the Exam Voucher Code for the ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam(s) they are authorised to purchase with the Exam Voucher Code; and

(b) do not transfer the Exam Voucher Code to anyone else.

10.1 You must only distribute the Exam Vouchers to students resident within the country that you have purchased the Exam Vouchers for. If you want to distribute the Exam Vouchers to additional countries, you must discuss this with the British Council prior to such distribution using the details set out in clause 19.1.

11.1 After a student has received an Exam Voucher from you, the Exam Voucher is ready to use for purchasing the relevant ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam. If there is a range of ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams that fall within the relevant Exam Price Group, you should clarify to the student which exams the student should use the Exam Voucher for.

11.2 To apply the Exam Voucher, the student must register for the ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam following the usual process on the ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam payment portal. During the registration process the student will be prompted to input their Exam Voucher Code. Upon entry of a valid Exam Voucher Code, a full discount will be applied to the relevant purchase. The student purchasing the ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam will be subject to the Terms and conditions of sale for ACCA exams.

11.3 A confirmation will be emailed to the student once the exam has been scheduled.

12.1 The British Council may cancel the Contract by giving you notice in writing (whether by email or otherwise) for any reason at any time prior to the Start Date. If the British Council cancels the Contract pursuant to this clause 12.1 it will refund the price paid by you for the relevant Exam Voucher(s).

12.2 The British Council may also cancel the Contract at any time, without liability to you if:

(a) you breach these Terms (but not if it’s a trivial breach); or

(b) the British Council is unable to provide the benefit of the relevant Exam Voucher in full due to a reason beyond its reasonable control.

12.3 If the British Council cancels the Contract under clause 12.2(a) the British Council will be entitled to retain (or be paid the balance of, as the case may be) the price paid by you in full.

12.4 If the British Council cancels the Contract under clause 12.2(b), you will be entitled to choose either: (i) to receive a full refund of the price paid of the relevant Exam Vouchers; or (ii) (subject to availability) to access an alternative equivalent Exam Voucher. If you choose option (ii) and the price of the alternative equivalent Exam Voucher is greater than the price paid for the cancelled Exam Voucher, you will be required to pay the difference in accordance with those payment terms set out in clause 7 or otherwise agreed with the British Council. If you choose option (ii) and the price of the alternative equivalent Exam Voucher is lower than the price paid for the cancelled Exam Voucher, the British Council will refund the difference. You must notify the British Council in writing (see the Contact Us Page for the relevant contact details), of your preferred option within fourteen (14) calendar days from you being notified by the British Council that the relevant Exam Voucher has been cancelled. If we do not hear from you in the specified time period we will refund the sum due to you.

Cancellation within the 14 day cancellation period

13.1 You have the right to cancel the Contract for any reason (including if you change your mind) during the Cancellation Period except that, subject to clauses 14.3 and 14.5, this right to cancel will not apply if you, or any of the students you have distributed the Exam Voucher to, have, at the date of the cancellation request, used an Exam Voucher Code from the any of the relevant Exam Vouchers to purchase any ACCA Remote On-Demand Exams. Partial returns or refunds for Exam Vouchers purchased by you in a single transaction are not accepted so once any Exam Voucher from that transaction has been used once, you will lose the right to cancel or be refunded for the remaining use of the Exam Voucher(s) purchased in that transaction.

13.2 To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform the British Council of your decision to cancel the Contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post or an email - see the Contact Us Page for the relevant contact details).

13.3 To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your cancellation statement before the Cancellation Period has ended.

Effect of cancellation

13.4 If you have a right to cancel, and do cancel, the Contract within the 14 day Cancellation Period, the British Council will reimburse to you all payments received from you in respect of the relevant Exam Vouchers.

13.5 The British Council will make the repayment without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after it is informed about your decision to cancel the Contract and provided you have the right to cancel the Contract.

13.6 The British Council will make the repayment using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of the repayment.

Cancellation after the 14 day cancellation period

13.7 After the Cancellation Period has expired, you have no automatic right to cancel the Contract. Any cancellation of the Contract after this period will need the British Council’s approval and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances – please contact the British Council (see the Contact Us Page for the relevant contact details) to explain why you would like to cancel the Contract and to see if the British Council will accept the cancellation.

Cancellation of exam booking for serious reasons

14.1 Under Section 5 of the Terms and conditions of sale for ACCA exams, a student may cancel their exam for medical or other serious reasons, including:

• illness, for example a serious illness, hospital admission or injury
• loss or bereavement – death of a close family member
• hardship/trauma – for example, a victim of a crime or traffic accident
• military service

14.2 Where a student cancels their ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam due to a reason in clause 14.1 and has used an Exam Voucher to purchase that exam, the British Council will issue to you (as purchaser of the Exam Voucher) a new Exam Voucher for the same Exam Price Group as the original Exam Voucher, which you may distribute to the same or another student, provided that:

(a) the cancellation request for specified reasons is received from the student at least 24 hours before a scheduled ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam;

(b) the student provides appropriate documentation and/or evidence, such as a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner, to support the cancellation request; and

(c) the British Council has approved the application for the cancellation request. The British Council will communicate its decision within 5 Working Days of receipt of the cancellation request.

14.3 Where a student cancels an exam booking under clause14.1 and the British Council agrees to provide you with a new Exam Voucher under clause 14.2, the student’s use of the original Exam Voucher shall be disregarded for the purpose of clause 13.1 and it shall not preclude you from exercising your cancellation rights under clause 13.1 (provided it is still within the Cancellation Period).

Cancellation of exam booking within the 14 day cancellation period

14.4 If a student uses an Exam Voucher to purchase the registration of an ACCA Remote On-Demand Exam and the student requests to cancel the exam registration within 14 days of payment of the relevant Exam Voucher by you, the relevant exam booking will be cancelled and the British Council will issue to you (as purchaser of the Exam Voucher) another Exam Voucher for the same Exam Price Group as the original Exam Voucher and with the same expiry date as with the original purchase which you may distribute to the same or another student. Provided the student cancels prior to the exam taking place, this clause 14.4 shall apply irrespective of the number of days left before the exam.

14.5 Where a student cancels an exam booking under clause 14.4 and the British Council agrees to provide you with another Exam Voucher under clause 14.4, the student’s use of the Exam Voucher shall be disregarded for the purpose of clause 13.1 and it shall not preclude you from exercising your cancellation rights under clause 13.1 (provided it is still within the Cancellation Period).

Cancellation on exam day: technical issues

14.6

14.7 If the cancellation or premature end of the exam was caused by a students’ failure to perform system check prior to the exam, no replacement Exam Voucher will be issued. 14.8 If the cancellation or premature end of the exam was caused by internet connectivity, power outage etc. the student is entitled to reschedule the exam free of charge, but no replacement Exam Voucher will be issued.

15.1 An exam booked using an Exam Voucher may be rescheduled or transferred if permitted under Part 5: Additional Terms and Conditions (Part 2) of the Terms and conditions of sale for ACCA exams.

16.1 All British Council Entities protect personal information in accordance with UK data protection legislation and any local data protection law if this is stronger.

16.2 Where any personal information is provided to the British Council in connection with the Contract, the British Council will only use that personal information in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

16.3 The British Council Entities:

(a) may use the personal information that you provide to organise and administer the Exam Vouchers you have selected including but not limited to facilitating your payment for the relevant Exam Voucher through the Payment Processor;

(b) will protect the personal information it is given and make sure that only those who need access to the personal information are able to access it; and

(c) will only share the information with the British Council Entities, with the Payment Processor or with other organisations where such sharing is necessary for a fair and lawful purpose or where the student’s consent has been obtained.

17.1 Nothing in the Terms shall limit or exclude the British Council’s liability (or the UK Charity’s liability) for death and/or personal injury caused by the negligence of the British Council or the UK Charity or any of their employees, agents or subcontractors, for fraudulent misrepresentation and any other liabilities which cannot as a matter of law be limited and/or excluded.

17.2 Subject to clause 17.1, the British Council and the UK Charity do not accept responsibility and expressly exclude liability for any loss or damage to your property that occurs where the British Council is delivering the Exam Voucher online.

17.3 Subject to clause 17.1, the British Council and the UK Charity shall not under any circumstances whatsoever be liable to you (whether for breach of contract, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise) for any:

(a) losses that were not foreseeable to both you and the British Council and/or the UK Charity when the Contract was formed;

(b) losses that were not caused by any breach on the part of the British Council; or

(c) loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption or loss of business opportunity arising under or in connection with the Contract.

17.4 If defective digital content which the British Council has supplied damages a device or digital content belonging to you and this is caused by the British Council’s failure to use reasonable care and skill, the British Council will either repair the damage or pay you compensation for the damage caused. However, the British Council will not be liable for damage which you could have avoided by following the British Council’s advice to apply an update offered to you free of charge or for damage which was caused by you failing to correctly follow installation instructions or to have in place the minimum system requirements advised by the British Council.

17.5 Subject to clauses 17.1, 17.2, 17.3 and 17.4, the British Council's liability in connection with the Contract will be limited to the price paid by you for the Exam Voucher(s) purchased under the Contract.

18.1 The British Council may transfer the Contract (in whole or in part), or subcontract or delegate the delivery of Exam Vouchers in any manner at its sole discretion to: (i) any separate entity that is controlled by the British Council or otherwise forms a part of the British Council group of entities; or (ii) any provider of outsourcing or third party services that is engaged under a service contract to provide services to the British Council.

18.2 The Contract is personal to your organisation and so you cannot transfer any or all of your rights or obligations under these Terms to a third party without the prior written consent of the British Council.

18.3 The British Council intends to rely upon these Terms as being the entire Contract between you and the British Council in relation to the Exam Vouchers. To avoid any misunderstandings about the content of the Contract, please make sure that you ask for any changes, or additions, to the terms of the Contract be put in writing by a British Council representative.

18.4 If the British Council does not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these Terms, or if the British Council delays in taking steps against you in respect of you breaching this Contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent the British Council taking steps against you at a later date.

18.5 Each of the clauses of these Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining clauses will remain in full force and effect.

18.6 Subject to the Special Terms and Conditions (Part 3), the laws of England apply to the Contract and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with the Contract or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims). For the avoidance of doubt, this Contract is deemed to have been formed in England unless the Special Terms and Conditions state otherwise.

18.7 The British Council hopes to make your experience of dealing with the British Council an excellent one and welcomes your comments, suggestions and details of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. If you have any comments or complaints in relation to the Contract, please refer to the Complaints Page and follow the procedure set out there.

18.8 If a complaint, dispute or claim is not successfully resolved through discussions between you and the British Council, the courts of England will have non-exclusive jurisdiction over any claim arising from, or related to, the Contract. This means that all claims relating to the Contract can be settled by a judge (or a number of judges) in an English court but you or the British Council may, alternatively, bring proceedings in your country of residence or any other relevant country.

18.9 The British Council may contact you or provide a notice referred to in this Contract through Eventsforce or by sending you an email to the nominated email address provided by you during the order process.

19.1 If you have any questions, comments or enquiries about the Contract or an Exam Voucher, please contact the British Council by using the contact details on the Contact Us Page.

The following Special Terms and Conditions apply to the Contract and form a legally binding part of the Terms.

There are no Special Terms and Conditions.